The African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) has created a new national chapter in Kenya to bolster advocacy around key issues affecting women and girls in a strategic and innovative manner.

Kenya joins 20 other countries to launch a national chapter in line with continental commitment’s for gender equality and women’s empowerment, an initiative spearheaded by the African Union (AU), the Federal Republic of Germany and UN Women. The network is an action-oriented movement of African women leaders to transform sustainable peace, security and development issues in the continent.

The event was attended by a cross-section of civil society organisations, development partners, and Government of Kenya representatives including the Ministry of Public Service and Gender (MPSYG) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. MPSYG Cabinet Secretary, Prof. Margaret Kobia welcomed the Kenyan chapter’s creation as an accelerator for women’s rights:

“The launch [will] enjoin women leaders in the country to the women leaders’ platform in Africa for transformative change at both country and regional level; and in particular, inform and create urgency towards securing Generation Equality.  If we do not do this now, it will take close to 200 years to achieve equality.”

The launch is timely as global development conversations begin to converge on gender. 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action for advancing women’s rights, the 20th Anniversary of UNSCR1325 as well as the five-year milestone for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Against this backdrop, AWLN will focus efforts on priorities at the heart of the women’s empowerment movement. This means extending beyond leadership issues and navigating the country’s efforts in combating gender-based violence, promoting the role of women in conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding and securing economic empowerment.

For the Kenya chapter, the 6 AWLN thematic areas: young women leadership, rural women leadership, rural women empowerment, financial inclusion, peace and security, political participation and social mobilization and transformation are well  aligned to the Medium-Term Plan III (MTPIII), Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the country commitment to SDGs.

UN Women Kenya Country Director Anna Mutavati

AWLN Kenya will specifically foster intergenerational mentorship and harness the leadership potential of young women, building on the first AWLN Intergenerational Leadership Retreat hosted by H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta and AWLN Patron and Former President of Liberia, H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in Nairobi in August 2019.